heretofore observed, not only without any mark of cenfure, but with an honourable teftimonial of his zeal and fervices from the affembly of Virginia. Greene ftands fo high with the Americans as an officer, that he holds the next , place to Washington in their military estimation; and, what does not always happen in fuch cafes, is at the fame time the great favourite of that commander. He brought no troops from the northern army; depending upon the refources of the fouthern colonies for their own defence; but was accompanied by Col. Morgan, a brave and diftinguished partizan, who had commanded. thofe riflemen in the northern war, that, befides being fatal to many brave officers, became fo terrible to the Indians under Gen. Burgoyne, and were fo far fuperior to them in their own way, that, to ufe his own expreffive words, they could not be brought within the found of a rifle fhot.

Early in the new year of 1781, Lord Cornwallis advanced with the army towards the borders, keeping his courfe between the broad, and the Catawba rivers, until he arrived at a water, called Turkey Creek, which falls into the former. Greene had by this time affembled his principal force in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina. In order to impede the progrefs of the royal army, which he was yet in no condition to encounter in the field, he thought it neceffary to make a diverfion on their left; and for that purpofe, an attack was made upon the important, and now far from weak poft of Ninety-Six; while to favour and fupport the diverfion,

Morgan advanced, with about 500 regular troops (moftly belonging to Virginia) and fome hundreds of militia, with a detachment of one hundred cavalry, under Col. Washington, upon the Pacolet river.

Tarleton was already on that fide, with the legion, confifting of about 300 cavalry, and as many infantry, with the first battalion of the 71ft, which was now annexed to it, and one three pounder; and being joined by the 7th regiment, which was marching with another three pounder to the relief of NinetySix, he received inftructions from the commander in chief, to strike a blow, if poffible, at Gen. Morgan; but at all events, to oblige him to pafs the Broad River, and thereby prevent all future embarraffment on that fide. Morgan retreated, and Tarleton purfued; a ftate of things, which naturally increases confidence and ardour on the one fide, and generally depreffes them on the other. Morgan at length found his enemy fo clofe upon him, that he could not pafs the Broad River, efpecially as the waters were exceedingly out, without expofing his troops to greater danger, than he thought he should hazard by an encounter. He accordingly, without hesitation, determined at once upon the part which he should take; and choofing his ground, boldly prepared for battle.

1781.

Tarleton came up Jan. 18th. with his enemy at eight in the morning, and nothing could appear more inviting than the profpect before him. They were drawn up on the edge of an open wood without · [D] 4

défences;

For this purpose, befides the ftationary force at Charles-Town, he left a confiderable body of troops under the conduct of Lord Rawdon; whofe central fituation at Camden, was equally calculated to reprefs the infurgents within the province, and to maintain the frontiers. A measure indeed that greatly leffened his active force, already too much weakened by the late loffes; but which the fituation of affairs rendered indifpenfibly neceffary. For Green's fituation, hanging with his force upon the eastern banks of the Pedee, whofe waters covered him from all near danger, would have afforded him fuch a command of a great part of the fouthern frontier, when the main army had pufhed on to the northward, as would have endangered, at leaft, all the eastern fide of the province, without fuch a check as was now provided. And to this was to be added, that South Carolina itself was ftill torn to pieces by internal commotions, which indeed feemed rather to increase than to leffen with lofs and defeat; and that, as Sumpter, Marion, and their other leaders, had now made it a rule to mount all their adherents, and to act entirely on horfeback; it became a matter of no fmall difficulty, either to reprefs or to punish their irruptions.

Lord Cornwallis, with his ufual alertnefs, immediately difpatched a part of the army, unincumbered with baggage, in the hope of intercepting Morgan, or at least of recovering the prifoners; while he ftaid behind a day with the remainder, for the purpofe of collecting the remains of Tarleton's corps. Nothing could exceed the

exertions made by the pursuing troops; but fuch was the celerity of the enemy, and fuch the difficulties they encountered, from violent and continual rains, and the confequent fwelling of the numberless creeks in their way, that all their efforts were fruitless; and Morgan had gained the upper fords on the Catawba, before they could poffibly reach them.

Upon the failure of intercepting Morgan, the army was affembled on the 25th of January, at Ramfoure's Mills, on the fouth fork of the Catawba. And as the loss of the light troops could only be remedied by the general activity of the whole army, Lord Cornwallis fpent two days in the deftruction of all the fuperfluous baggage, and of every thing whatever, which could retard the celerity of the troops, and which was not abfolutely neceffary to their existence or action. Upon this principle, all the waggons, excepting, thofe loaded with hofpital fores, falt, or ammunition, and four empty ones, referved for the fick or wound. ed, were deftroyed. The temper with which they fubmitted not only to this, but to a number of other unufual trials and hardships, does infinite honour to every part of that army. They beheld the deftruction of their most valuable, and even much of their moft neceffary baggage; they beheld their fpirituous liquors flaved, at a feafon when it would be most wanted, and upon the entrance of a fervice, which cut off every profpect and hope of a future fupply; and the moderate pittance of flower, which they were able to procure and to carry along with them, was their only certain resource for fubfift

ance;

ance; yet thefe difficulties and evils, new and ftrange as they were, were fubmitted to with the most general and chearful acquiefcence. It feemed indeed the lefs irksome, as the example was fet by the commander in chief himfelf with the utmoft rigour. It was a new phenomenon in a modern army, to behold the general's quarters incapable of affording a glafs of wine, or of any kind of ftrong liquor, and his table as deftitute of any thing orderly or comfortable, and even of furniture, as the common foldier's.

The north fork of the Catawba, had been rendered impaffable for feveral days by the rains; and all the fords for more than forty miles above the fork, were befides vigilantly guarded by detachments of the enemy; compofed not only of Morgan's corps, but of the militia of the two neighbouring counties of Rowen and Mecklenburg, (both of which were peculiarly inimical to the royal caufe) under the conduct of a General Davidfon. Lord Cornwallis approached the river by fhort marches during its height, and by feveral movements and feints, which indicated a design of forcing his way at different fords before they were yet paffable, endeavoured to divide and diftract the attention of the enemy. In the mean time, he fpared no pains to procure all poffible information, as well of the nature of the river, and of the country on the other fide, as of the ftate and condition of the enemy. His plan being fettled, and the waters fomewhat fallen, he detached Colonel Webster, with a part of the army, and all the remaining baggage, to a ford

called Beattie's, which lies fix miles higher up the river, than another principal ford, which is known by the name of M'Cowen's. General Davidfon, was fuppofed to be posted with 500 militia at Beattie's; and Webfter had inftructions to make every poffible demonftration, as well by cannonading as by manoeuvres, of his determination to force a paffage at that ford.

While Webster was gone upon this fervice, Lord Cornwallis with the remainder of the army, confifting of the brigade of guards, the regiment of Bofe, the 23d, 200 cavalry, and two three pounders, began his march Feb. ift. about one in the morning, to a private ford, about a mile from M'Cowen's, which was the real object of attempt. The morning being very dark and rainy, and part of their way being thro' a wood where there was no road, the artillery were fo embarraffed in a swamp, that the line of march was pushed on to the ford without them; where the head of the column arrived juft at the opening of the day. The general foon perceived by the number of fires on the other fide, that the ford was much better guarded, and the oppofition would confequently be greater than he expected. This rendered the delay of the artillery the more vexatious. But as he knew that the rain then falling would foon render the river impaffable, and had before received intelligence, that Greene on full march from the Pedee, with his whole force, to join Morgan, he faw that fomething muft neceffarily be hazarded at the present,

was

to

to avoid greater future difficulties; and being likewife full of confidence in the zeal and gallantry of Brig. General O Hara, and of the brigade of guards under his command, which formed the head of the column, he determined on the attempt; and directly ordered them to march on through the river, and to prevent confufion, charged them not to fire, until they had gained the oppofite bank.

The guards, and their commander, fully juftified the high opinion which Lord Cornwallis had entertained of them. The terrors and difficulties of an untried river, upwards of five hundred yards wide, with a strong current, a rocky bottom, water up to the middle, and expofed through the whole paffage, to the deliberate aim, and continual fire of the enemy, were equally incapable of making any impreffion on their cool and determined valour, and of, in any degree, affecting the excellency of their difcipline. The light infantry of the guards, being the first that were landed, inftantly formed, and in a few minutes killed or difperfed every thing that appeared before them. Gen. Davidion, who unexpectedly, and for himself unfortunately, had arrived at this poft, with 300 militia on the preceding evening, was, with fome other officers, found among the flain. Colonel Hall of the guards, was the only officer who fell on the British fide; and though a good many private men were wounded, yet the lofs in every refpect would appear incredibly fmall to thofe, who are not accustomed to confider the prodigious difference between real and

eftimated danger, in many parts of military action.

In the mean time, the rear of the column being come up, and the whole paffed with the utmost expedition over the river, Colonel Tarleton was dispatched with the cavalry, fupported by the 23d regiment, in purfuit of the fugitives, and likewife to fcour and examine the country. Having received intelligence from the prifoners, that three or four hundred of the militia, were to affemble that day at a place about ten miles diftant, he eagerly feized that opportunity, as well of avenging, as of effacing the memory of the late difafter. He therefore, immediately quitting the infantry, proceeded thither at the head of his cavalry with the utmost expedition; his arrival being fo fudden and unexpected, that a complete furprize, great execution, and total difperfion, were almoft the inftantaneous confequences. This fevere ftroke, along with the preceding defeat at the ford, had fuch an effect upon the militia, who had hitherto only heard of the rigours and dangers of war, that they not only immediately abandoned all their posts on the river, but were fo totally cowed and difpirited, that they did not once after, in any manner, make the fmalleft attempt to interrupt the progrefs of the army in its march to the Yadkin, although its courfe lay (to ufe Lord Cornwallis's own words) through one of the most rebellious tracts in America.

Though the enemy had abandoned Beattie's Ford, yet the continual fall of rain, and fwelling of the river, had rendered the paf

Lage

fage both tedious and difficult to Colonel Webster. It was, however, at length accomplished towards the evening; and he was enabled to join the commander in chief, in fome time after dark, at about fix miles diftance from the ford.

Intelligence being received, that Morgan had commenced a forced march in the afternoon, which it was afterwards found that he had continued through the night, to the northward, towards Salisbury, the defire of retaliating on that commander, was fo ftrong with the army, that they purfued him in the morning with the utmost spirit and vigour; hoping, notwithftanding the distance he had gained, by dint of exertion, ftill to overtake or intercept him while he was entangled among the rivers. But the difficulties of bad roads, bad weather, and fwelled creeks, which they had to furmount, were fo great and fo numerous, that it could not poffibly be done, with the effect that was wifhed. Morgan had arrived at the trading fort on the Yadkin, in the night between the second and third of February, and during the remainder of that, and in the courfe of the following day, had paffed the body of his infantry, with the cavalry, and moft of

the

waggons over the river; fo that when the guards, by a courfe of the most ftrenuous exertions, had come up in the evening, they could only rout and difperfe his rear, and take the few remaining waggons,

Morgan having fecured the boats on the other fide, and the ford through which he had paffed his waggons and cavalry being now rendered impaffable by the fudden

rife of the river, Lord Cornwallis determined to march to the upper fords, which, as we before obferved, are generally paffable; but he was under a neceffity of making fome fhort delay by the way at Salibury, for the procuring of a hafty and fcanty fupply of provifions. In the mean time he received intelligence, that Morgan had quitted the banks of the Yadkin, and that Greene was marching with the utmoft difpatch to form a junction with him at Guildford. The British commander knowing that Greene had not yet received his reinforcements from Virginia, nor even had time to collect the North Carolina militia, was fenfible, that he would by all poffible means avoid an engagement in the latter, and of courfe endeavour to make his way into the other where his fupport lay. To counteract this defign was therefore his great object; and he accordingly endeavoured with the utmoft diligence, and every degree of exertion, to get before him to the river Dan; for that river, and the Roanoke into which it falls, form the boundary between the two provinces; and by feizing the upper fords on the firft, he hoped to reduce Greene to a neceffity either of fighting, or of abandoning his communication with, and all hope of fuccour from Virginia; while, in the latter cafe, he would run no fmall rifque of being inextricably enclofed and hemmed in, between the great rivers on the weft, the fea on the east, and the forces under the Lords Cornwallis and Rawdon, on the north and fouth.

It was now a trial of dispatch between both armies, which should